Major League Baseball

Family sues over youth league accident

Published Dec. 8, 2010 12:00 a.m. ET

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A family in suburban Chicago filed a lawsuit Tuesday against baseball bat maker Easton, blaming one of the company's metal bats for causing their son to lose hearing in his left ear, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Jake Schutter, 11, was pitching in a youth league game in May when the batter hit a line drive that struck him in the left side of the head. Schutter dropped to the ground and began to vomit.

His parents say he suffered unspecified brain injuries and permanent loss of hearing in his left ear.

The lawsuit, filed in Chicago federal court, claims that California-based Easton's BT265 bat propels balls at too high a rate of speed for kids to react.

Easton has not commented on the lawsuit.

Some areas, including New York City, have banned the use of metal bats in youth league games, saying they are too dangerous, and switched to wooden bats.

But those on the other side of the argument say wooden bats are too heavy for many youngsters, and question whether they significantly reduce the speed of a batted ball.

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